Etching processes are often used when shaping the components of magnetic storage devices such as the rails or other air bearing surfaces. An exemplary pallet assembly 100 used for shaping these components is shown in the exploded perspective view of FIG. 1. Pallet assembly 100 comprises a carrier 101 which holds a wafer or other component being etched. During use, a plurality of carriers 101 are slid between arms (e.g., 102a and 102b) of frame 102 which is then coupled with tray 103 using, for example, screws inserted into holes 104.
FIG. 2 shows a section view of pallet assembly 100. During use, a wafer 201 is coupled with carrier 101. As shown in FIG. 2, carrier 101 is held between arms 102a and 10b due to the dovetail configuration of the back side of carrier 101. Carrier 101 is in direct contact with tray 103 in region 203, thus facilitating heat dissipation from carrier 101 via conduction to tray 103. A plurality of fasteners (e.g., 210) couple tray 103 with frame 102. Often, to improve the thermal transfer characteristics of the pallet assembly, carrier 101 is thermally coupled with frame 102 using a thermally conductive epoxy. This heat is then conveyed to tray 103 via fasteners 210.
Pallet assemblies such as 101 can be used in the fabrication of components used in, for example, magnetic data storage devices. For example, a reactive ion etching (RIE) process or an ion milling process may be used to perform a shallow etch (e.g., approximately 0.18μ) of these components. However, when performing a deeper etch (e.g., approximately 1.32μ using an ion milling process) current pallet designs cannot dissipate the heat quickly enough. As a result, the carrier and/or wafer can get burned. Thus, conventional pallet assemblies are inadequate in removing heat during deep etch operations.